21 June 2010

From 1 July, the New Zealand Customs Service will start collecting a new 'Biosecurity Levy' of $12.50 per shipment on behalf of MAF.

This will be added to their own CIT - Customs Import Transaction Fee. The Service said, "these import transaction fees are applied to cover the time and costs associated with processing imports and are used to fund border risk management activities." They used to be funded from general taxation.

The new fees will also apply to some private imports and shipments of personal effects which were previously exempted.

The Customs Service advises that the GST increase from 12.5% to 15% on 1 October will apply based on the actual date of arrival of the goods -- not the date when they are cleared through Customs. If goods are cleared in September, but arrive in October, the rate will be 15%. Conversely, if goods arrive in September but are cleared in October, the rate will be 12.5%.

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We are an informal national association of New Zealand importing companies. We aim to keep members informed on topical issues of interest and to represent importers’ interests before policy makers and the public.